"This is just another group out there of people lining their pockets," Willems said of Gallego's group, Citizens for Professional Law Enforcement. "It seems like a full-time employment group for these guys."

I would be tempted to say, "pot-kettle-black," except in Willems' case it's more like "Camelback Mountain-copper pot-brown," and no, Willems ain't the copper pot.

That's because Summit Consulting is making a mint off contributions to Arpaio's re-election campaign.

According to Arpaio's most recent campaign finance report, from August 9 to September 17 of this year, Summit Consulting has been paid nearly $1 million for services rendered. Or, $960,162, to be more precise.

That's gross, not net. Some of it is for TV advertising, for instance. But it's tough to imagine Willems not turning a hefty profit.

Unlike Gallego, who is doing CPLE in hopes of removing Arpaio from power.

So much money is flowing through Summit that, apparently, Willems can't even count it all properly. The total given for "expenditures for operating expenses" is off by a couple hundred thousand dollars.

Willems isn't the only one to get befuddled by all that moolah. Class-A Joe Arpaio-shoe-licker E.J. Montini over at the Arizona Republic likes to let people think Arpaio has $8 million in the bank. Which just happens to be bull.

Montini writes that, "Arpaio's re-election campaign issued a news release Wednesday saying the campaign has raised more than $8 million, adding, `over $1 million in the last three months alone.'"

Nah, I didn't pay to read that drivel, as you can get around the Rep's new paywall by simply opening up a different browser. Plus, who would want to part with their cash to peruse E.J. Montini? Especially when he's playing unofficial propaganda minister for Arpaio.

See, Joe doesn't have $8 million.The sheriff's cash on hand as of September 17, was around $3.8 million. Still a lot of dough, so what's this festish for inflating the figure? Or are Montini's synapses hard-wired to Willems' keyboard?

First and foremost, Montini is a lifelong hack, and Arpaio and Willems play paddy-cake with him. How long do you think that would keep happening if he left his badminton racket at home?

In his recent confab with Willems, he could've asked why the descriptions of Arpaio's campaign disbursements are so vague, if Willems has ever had contact with the campaign of Republican-turned-Independent Mike Stauffer, or why Arpaio's first campaign commercial said Joe'd been kidnapped when there's no evidence this ever happened?

But asking such questions might get Montini frozen out, and more than anything, Montini wants to be able to get Arpaio on the horn when need be and joke around about him sending Montini a pizza with anchovies, or other such drek.

Fifteen minutes of talking to Joe and, bam, Montini has a column, no matter what Joe says.

He's not the only one who does it. This is but one of the many ways the local Fourth Estate has been compromised by Arpaio's regime. For Arpaio's media pals, access equals compliance.